LDR Scavenger Hunt

This is something I put together for my other half that he really liked. It took a couple months of planning but was so worth it to see that it made his day 🙂 I’ve had this idea for a little while of how romantic it would be to be sent (or to send my sweetie) on a romantic scavenger hunt but since I can’t hide clues around town (as I live 3,000 miles away from him) I made a long distance scavenger hunt by using online tools and weaving clues into some of the letters and gifts I’ve sent him.

It began with one of those “Open When…” envleopes (this one was an open when you’re bored one). Inside the envelope were instructions, clues inside little envelopes, and a white box with a lock on it. In order to find the key to open the lock he had to follow the clues. Plus I left a couple surprises for him along the way.

I began by using teabags to age a piece of paper (boiled water, steeped an orange pekoe teabag, then dabbed it on the page) and dried it with a hairdryer. Then I wrote down some instructions and added some cute pirate themed stickers I found at the dollar store.

I then wrote some clues to help my honey along the way just incase he got stuck :p

The first 2 clues were freebies to get him started which gave him an email address and told him that to find his login password he had to go to facebook and that his clue was me + him +alligator. When he found this photo of us with an alligator in Florida his next clue was in the description “clue: the numbers on your cinema ticket.”

Months earlier I’d sent him a “date in a box” (a movie, some snacks, an invite and a homemade faux movie ticket where the number on it is our combined birthdays). I made these numbers the password to login to the email I created for him. *I used gmail since I learned through trial and error that you cannot make a hotmail password all numbers

I sent some sexy photos and the next clue to his inbox. The next clue was “ldr13” and “Meeting My LDR Sweetheart For The First Time” … after some google research this took him to this blog which he did not previously know about and in particular, to an article I wrote about us meeting for the first time (and how crazy I am about him). Underneath the photo of us in Miami he found “clue: youtube” and after reading one of the envelope clues figured out he needed to login to youtube with the email address I’d made for him.

I uploaded a video to this youtube channel which explained his next clue (which was to consult a postcard I’d sent him). Underneath the video I added in the description to pay close attention to capitals.

The front of this postcard is a map of Florida (a lovely coincidence seeing as the theme is a treasure hunt). Unfortunately my sweetie didn’t have this postcard with him (it’s pinned to his corkboard at work) so I gave him the clue from this postcard. If you read closely all the letters that are capitalized when they should not be spell out “CDCASE.”

A few months ago I made him a mixed cd and a homemade cd case out of cardboard. Inside the cd sleeve I taped a small silver key and hid it beneath a square of white paper. I figured if he asked about it I could say it’s padding so the cd doesn’t scratch. Sounds legit right? He found the key inside the case and could now finally open the small white box that was inside the “Open When You’re Bored” envelope.

Inside the white box with the lock on it was a photo of us I’d cut to fit inside, along with a chocolate kiss (since I can’t give him a real kiss for another 60 days), only I’d replaced the paper with a strip of white paper that I’d written my own note on. I also added an A + J for that grade school crush touch :p.

In the beginning it didn’t go over quite how I’d imagined. My baby got stuck on the first clue and said he would do it another time which of course hurt my feelings but he quickly returned to it (probably just to make me happy). After he was able to log in to the email he started getting into it and by the end told me he was speechless and asked why I’m so good to him. He said he wasn’t expecting it to be like this at all and couldn’t believe all the effort I put into it. He really appreciated it which made it all so worth it. We’re already so in love but I felt like we grew even closer yesterday :).

Recently I was asked for some help brainstorming some different clues to the ones above, so I thought I would add what I came up with below to help you guys out too!

1. Create a crossword or a word search puzzle with the words being clues to the next clue. There are lots of sites online where you can make them (your sweetie could login to complete it) or you could print it (or draw one) and send it. If you will see your honey before they will do the scavenger hunt you could hide the crossword somewhere in their room they wouldn’t look, otherwise you’ll have to hide it in something else… perhaps in a picture frame with a photo of the two of you and put it between the picture and the back of the frame.

2. Create an Ottendorf cipher (or book cipher). See the link below to explain more, but it’s a series of codes with 3 sets of numbers (ie: 65- 7-4)where the first number refers to a page number, the second to the line on that page and the third to the word in that line. You can use this technique to spell out a message. All you have to do is buy a book your darling would like, find the words in the book you need to spell out your message, code accordingly and make a personal note of it, then send the book. They’ll never suspect that the book will later become a clue. http://www.raidersnewsupdate.com/ottendorf.htm

I’ve also been asked a few times about how I did/where I got the locked box. I just dug out an old ring box from years ago and used a small hand drill to make two holes in it. Then I purchased a small lock and key from a luggage store (they likely have them at Wal-Mart also).

Thank you! It took a bit of trial and error as far as figuring out where I could hide clues online but it all worked out in the end 🙂 Let me know how yours goes, I’d love to see what someone else does with the idea!

I am in the middle of planning something similar but the end result leads my gf to a secret location where I will b waiting for her, and this inspired me even more. We have been apart for 9 months while she’s been at uni 600 miles away and was thinking about how I could start things off, I like how u used social media for the clues I had not thought about that,and how you both had fun doing the hunt I she does enjoy herself coming back home as I’m going to be proposing 🙂 wish me luck lol

I am going to try something similar, but instead of using online things lead him to different parts of our house. E.g. Look under the chilli bush pot plant and hidden in the scatter pillows of the spare bedroom etc.

It means long distance relationship! I am canadian and my man is british so we flew back and fourth between countries for two years but ive just moved to england 🙂 im sure your best friend would love that thanks for stopping by!

This is wonderful!!! Our one-year anniversary is in 9 days and I am going to do the “Open when…” letters thing and I thought I’d put this in too but I don’t have enough time to plan something that big, so could you please give me any advice for a shorter scavenger hunt? He lives about 37km away from me! Thank you p, in advance! 🙂

Thank you I’m sure he will love your envelopes 🙂 just cut out some of the steps or replace them with other steps there are extra ideas at the bottom. Putting s scavenger hunt together takes quite a lot of thought but I’m sure you can do it 🙂

Hey! I love love love you’re ideas and I’m going to do this for my boyfriend’s birthday so thank you so much for the ideas. I was looking around for a box with a lock and cant find a small box like the one you have. I was wondering where you got it?

I love this! I’m using it to create my own scavenger hunt for my boyfriend. We are celebrating our second anniversary and it would be nice to do something rather creative. I’ve already left some clues in our home, but it would be difficult for him to actually find them without knowing that they are there. I really look forward to him reacting to it. I am going to be there while he goes through all the clues, which will make it interesting and difficult for me not to say more. I love your ideas! Thank you so much!

Aww that is such a nice idea. I’m so lucky my man has never been properly deployed… enjoy every second of your time together and I hope he will be back before too long. You’re welcome for the ideas! xx